Zinedine Zidane and elegance go hand in hand. Zidane might be known as a world-class manager to young people but Zidane the player was defined the term 'World class'.
After their shocking Quarterfinal defeat against Greece in the Euro 2004, Zinedine Zidane announced international retirement along with Bixente Lizarazu, Marcel Desailly, Claude Makélélé and Lilian Thuram. France were struggling to qualify for the World Cup after drawing four out of their opening six qualification games. At the urging of coach Raymond Domenech, Zidane came out of retirement and was immediately reinstated as team captain. Zidane, along with Thuram and Makélélé, made his competitive return for France in a 3–0 win over the Faroe Islands. France ended up winning three and drawing one in their last four games to top their group just two points ahead of third-placed Israel.
France did not play particularly well in the group stage. Les Bleus finished second in their group behind Switzerland with five points after one win and two draws. Zidane was suspended in the last group stage game against Togo after picking up two yellow cards. In the Round of 16, France faced Spain. David Villa scored from the penalty spot to give Spain the lead in the 28th minute. Frank Ribery equalized just 13 minutes later. In the 83rd minute, Zidane launched a free-kick in the Spanish penalty box which ultimately led to Patrick Vieira's header putting France ahead. Zidane sealed the victory by scoring in injury time.
In the Quarterfinals France were pitted against Brazil. Brazil up until then were undefeated at the tournament. They had scored ten and conceded just one goal in their four matches. The magnitude of that game was on another level with superstars on both sides. But one superstar managed to shine more than anyone.
France captain Zinedine Zidane who had already announced his retirement after the World Cup set the stage on fire. Zidane dribbled past three Brazilian players in the very first minute of the game to clearly show his intent. What followed was 90 minutes of pure magic and poetry on the pitch. Zidane created so many special moments in the game. Brazil's superstars like Ronaldo, Kaka and Ronaldinho failed to make any sort of impact while Zidane bossed the midfield. The only goal of the game came in the 57th minute when Zidane launched a pinpoint free-kick that went past everyone to find Thierry Henry who volleyed it to the roof of the goal.
Zidane's performance is highly regarded as the best individual performance of all time. Zidane had a proper number 10 role on paper with Patrick Vieira and Claudio Makelele sitting behind him as holding midfielders. On the pitch, he neutralised the Brazilian midfield by playing much deeper than expected almost like a deep-lying playmaker. The Frenchman played like a link and was always available for a pass dropping on the wing and playing cross-field passes on some occasion while dribbling past opponents on other occasions. It was a display of classic display inside forward play by Zinedine Zidane.
Zidane single-handedly won the match for France to book their place in the Semifinal against Portugal. Zidane scored the only goal in the match from the penalty spot as France reached the Final of the World Cup. France faced Italy on the biggest stage in World football. Zidane once again scored a penalty in the 7th minute to give France an early lead. The lead lasted only 12 minutes as Marco Materazzi equalised and the game went into extra time. He almost scored a second goal during the first period of extra time but his header was saved by Italy's goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon. Everything went sour for Zidane when he head-butted Materazzi and was sent off. It was later revealed through interviews that Marco Materazzi had insulted Zidane's sister, which led to Zidane's heightened anger and reaction. Italy won the game on penalties and were crowned champions. Zidane's legendary career ended with a red card and a tough loss.
The sending off and the eventual defeat was not highlighted by the French people and media. Zidane received utmost praise for his exemplary performance in the knockout stages with Pep Guardiola writing he exerts so much influence on the team that "France are never disorganised". Zidane was also awarded the Golden ball for being the best player in the tournament. Upon his return to France, the Place de la Concorde in Paris was filled with thousands of fans waving flags and rhythmically chanting "Zizou! Zizou!," and tributes were led by the French president.
15 years later Zidane's performance against Brazil and indeed throughout the knockout stages remains iconic. His leadership qualities and individual performances dragged France to the final. In hindsight, France would've had a much better chance of winning the trophy had Zidane kept his cool.
